Reviews by cbarrett4:

*** Label slightly different than one pictured, states "Matured in Sake Casks" *** But apparently is the same beer (and all newly created listings with 'sake cask' get popped under the regular XH listing).

Also of note: this beer was not really aged in sake casks, it was aged in sochu casks. For those of you who know Japanese liquor (and it's a love/hate relationship as I'm sure you agree) Sochu (Sochyu, soju, shochu) is a rice wine (sake) fermented into an 80 to 90 proof liquor and often matured in cask.

Smells a lot like a sour ale. Lot's of fruit, a hefty dose of the sour cherry, lacto thing with some sake like notes, a little spice, and plum. Really reminds me of a barrel aged Belgian.

Flavor is remarkable. The sour note adds so much and keeps the intense sake-like flavors subdued. Very intense and fruit forward.

Texture is lovely with a massive amount of wall to wall flavor, great grip, and a good balance of acidity and alcohol.

This beer sings, and I'm all ears (and tastebuds). I immediately returned and bought every bottle they had at Whole Foods. This is going to be a cornerstone beer and one that I will love fooling beer geeks with blind tastings.

More User Reviews:

Served on tap in a 13oz Hitachino stubby tulip shaped pint glass at Bavarian Lodge in Lisle Il

It pours a lively reddish brown with a 2 finger head. The beer was pretty cloudy and lots carbonation bubbles were surfacing.

The aroma was pretty muted for what I would expect from the description. It had some wood and cherry type fruit notes mixed in with some nice Brett funk.

The taste was nice and tart with some fruit notes. It reminded me of a flanders style beer at first. Some wood came through as well. I'm sad to say that I've never partook in drinking sake so I cannot report on any influence in this beer. Overall it had a decent funky brett flavor profile but everything seemed muddled and sloppy. The carbonation was on the high side and became distracting forcing me to take smaller sips in order to savor the beer properly. An interesting beer for sure and glad to find it on tap.

This beer pours a deep, slightly hazy amber with a thick, lasting, creamy head. It has a nice sour aroma and flavor that is balanced with a little underlying sweetness in the body of the beer. There are some woody notes followed by a balanced finish. Tasty. I'll definitely get this one again.

Purchased from Blue Max Liquors in Burnsville, MN. Pours a murky, dark reddish brown body with a huge pillowy off-white head. There are globs of sediment floating around and settling in the bottom of the snifter. The aroma is one big sour mish-mosh of belgian yeast. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and highly carbonated. The bottle actually foamed out a little after I popped the cap. Sweet syrupy flavor that has a tart and sour finish. I can't detect any sake. I guess this is what you get sometimes when you buy "experimental" beers. I couldn't even finish this one.

I was excited that this beer made it's way to America and I picked up a bottle as soon as I could and tried it right away. I shared it with a friend who really likes shouchu so I was looking forward to her reaction to it as well. It poured a golden yellow with a thick white head. I noted some floral notes to it as well as some spice and a bit of the shouchu which I was really looking for. It's a bit dry with tight, gentle carbonation. A nice beer to savor.

I picked up a bottle from Hop Jacks in Pensacola. Pours an amber brown color with white head that dissipated quickly. Smells of sweet grass, caramel, touch of sour notes. Taste is mostly sweet caramel and some tartness. Mouthfeel is rather watery. Otherwise, I'm glad I only bought a single bottle of this beer. Not great

Pours a dirty auburn brown body with a small beige head that quickly falls to a cap. Some rings of lace aound the snifter. Aroma of wood, sake, and fried rice. Mouthfeel is nice, medium body and crisp carbonation. Taste is better than the aroma with prominent oak wood tones and a faint note of berries. As it warms, the sake becomes dominant imparting some harsh alcohol which lasts into the finish. Not my favorite Hitachino Nest but one of the most interesting.

The beer pours an orangish-amber color with a tan head. The aroma is basic caramel malt with some fruit and yeast. The flavor is completely different, with brett funk, citrus fruit and a good amount of tartness. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Appearance: Cloudy orange with towering cream colored head and some nice lacing.

Smell: Tart apples, vinegar, oak and pepper.

Taste: Nice tartness derived from apple and citrus. The oak aging adds a nice level of complexity, as does the brett. Ends with pepper, clove and spicy hops. Great balance overall and the tartness remains at a manageable level.

Feel: Moderately high carbonation, medium body with a tart, dry finish. As the carbonation recedes, it becomes very smooth.

Drinkability: Love the complex layers within this beer, while remaining compulsively drinkable.

A: Copper gold with a slight chill haze under a 1” dense cream colored foam collar that produces sheets of lace.
S: Fruit, peach, melon, light grains,
T: Fruit, melon to peach, biscuit malt, hints of sake, some pepper on the finish.
F: Creamy medium full body and medium carbonation.
O: While the sake is not huge, the brewer has nailed the Belgian texture and yeast character for a very pleasant beer.